Tk Metadata Editor

Tkme: Another editor for formal metadata

This page describes an editor for formal metadata, that is, structured documentation conforming to the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata developed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC).

New! Tkme version 3 helps you select keywords using vocabulary web services.

The editor shares a considerable amount of its code with its progenitor, Xtme, which is specifically for Unix systems and is based on the Athena widget set of the standard X Window System distribution. Both Tkme and Xtme are closely allied with mp, a compiler for formal metadata, whose purpose is to verify that the syntactical structure of a file containing formal metadata conforms to the FGDC standard, and to re-express the metadata in various useful formats. The editors are intended to simplify the process of creating metadata that conform to the standard.

Tkme can be built for Unix systems if desired. Tkme is specifically designed as a port of Xtme to Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, and 2000.

The editor and the metadata compiler are both available in source and executable form through <https://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/>

Getting started

Download the software
The software for Windows is now distributed in a stand-alone executable; just double-click it to run.
Create a shortcut for Tkme so Windows can find it.
1. Click the desktop background with the right mouse button, choose New -> Shortcut. The shortcut wizard comes up.
2. Click Browse, and navigate to c:\usgs\tools\bin\tkme.exe, then click Next.
3. Shortcut name now appears as "tkme.exe"; if you wish, change this to "Tkme". Click Finish. Wizard disappears, icon appears on the desktop.
4. Click the Tkme shortcut icon with the right mouse button, and choose Properties. The shortcut's property sheet appears.
5. Click the tab labeled "Shortcut" near the top.
6. Optional: to change the icon for the shortcut, click "Change Icon". Windows indicates that there are no icons embedded in Tkme.exe. Choose Browse, and navigate to c:\usgs\tools\doc\tools.ico. Click Apply.
7. Optional: to have Tkme start in the directory where you store your metadata, change the field labeled "Start In".
8. Click Okay to close the shortcut property sheet. Tkme can now be run from the shortcut.

Linux users

Tkme can be compiled from the source distribution or it can be run as a tclkit. Download tkme.kit and an appropriate version 8.4 of Tclkit. Rename the tclkit and place in a convenient location such as /usr/local/bin/tclkit. Then run Tkme using the command tclkit tkme.kit

Documentation

The formal metadata for xtme describes the editor and its usage. Generally what goes for Xtme goes for Tkme. In addition to menus a number of keyboard shortcuts are provided. Generally keystrokes involving the Alt key affect the structure of the metadata while keystrokes involving the Ctrl key affect the operation of the program.

Controlling the program
Key	Action
Ctrl-O	Open a new file
Ctrl-S	Save the file
Ctrl-X	Cut to the clipboard
Ctrl-C	Copy to the clipboard
Ctrl-V	Paste from the clipboard
Ctrl-Q	Quit
F1	Show help window
F2	Show output window
Working with the element hierarchy
Key	Action
Alt-Up Alt-KP_8	Move to the previous element
Alt-Down Alt-KP_2	Move to the next element
Alt-Home Alt-KP_7	Move to the root (top) element
Alt-End Alt-KP_1	Move to the last element
Alt-PgUp Alt-KP_9	Move up about 10 elements
Alt-PgDn Alt-KP_3	Move down about 10 elements
Alt-Left Alt-KP_4	Collapse the current element
Alt-Right Alt-KP_6	Expand the current element
Alt-Plus	Expand the wholelist by one level
Alt-Minus	Collapse the whole list by one level
Alt-D	Duplicate the current element
Alt-P	Prune the current subtree
Alt-A	Add all possible children to the current element
Alt-T	Insert today's date in the value
Alt-tilde	Swap current element with the one above it

Technical contact

Peter N. Schweitzer
    Mail Stop 954, National Center
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Reston, VA 20192

    Tel: (703) 648-6533
    FAX: (703) 648-6252
    email: pschweitzer@usgs.gov